Chicken coop and nest.



H. G. PANTON.

CHICKEN COOP AND NEST:

APPLIoATIoN FILED MAn.19,19o9.

936, 1 54. Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

y @gf O o o lill/FII @foi buono HUGH G. PANTON, F PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CHICKEN COOP AND NEST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Cet. 5, 1909.

Application :filed March 19, 1909. Serial No. 484,417.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH G. PANTON, a oitizenol' the United States'of America, residing at Pittsbiirg, in the county of AlleA glieny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chicken toops and Nests, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawinfr.

This invention relates to a chicken coop and nest, and the objects of the invention are, lii'st, to provide a sanitary coop for a chicken; second, to provide a coop with a detachable nest from which eggs can be removed iinn'iediately upon being laid; third, to provide a coop with an automatic door for retaining a hen Within a coop, thereby rendering it possible to determine the product of a certain chicken; fourth to provide a simple and durable chicken coop that can be used as a unit in a henyhonse or se arately at a desired location; and to provide a nest with a gathering receptacle in which can be accumulated as fast as laidE The above objects are accomplished by a structure that permits of an accurate record being maintained of the hens laying eggs, and the number o' eggs laid by each hen besides preventing any parti hen sit-ting upon el W after bein0 The detail construction entering into my will hereinai' hen speeine e drawings a front Wall 4, and a rear Wall 5. Hinged to the rear Wall 5, as at 6, is a cover 7 having the forward edge thereof provided with a pin S adapted to be engaged by a hook 9, pivotally connectedto the Wall 4 adjacent to the upper edge thereof.

`The front Wall 4 is provided with a plurality of Ventilating openings 10, a door opening 11, and a drawer opening 12.

Hinged to the front Wall 4 is a door 13 for closing the door opening 1l, the outward movement of said door being limited by a ltrg'14 iXed to the front Wall 4 adjacent to the bottom l. ylthe inward movement of the door 13 is limited by the end Wall 3, and to normally maintain said door in a closed p0- sition and in engagement With the lug 14, a spring yoke 15 is used. This yoke is supported by staples 16 mounted in the end wall 3 adjacent to the door opening 4. Eneircling that portion of the yoke 15 held by the staple 16 is a coil spring 17 having one end tl'iereotl bearing against the-end Wall 3, as at 1S, While the opposite end thereof engages the yoke, as at 19.

Arranged' transversely ot the bottom 1 of the coo' and alining with the edge of the drawer opening 12 is a cleat 20. Slidably mounted upon the cleat 20 and the end Wall 2, is drawer, said drawer comprising a hase 21, side Walls 22 and 28, a rear Wall 24 .e 1 t 1 e' and a iront wail :33st

rlthese Walls are congit-nor, and the rear Wall 24 i ainged, as at to the rearedge of ase 21.

Secured the inner sides of the wel to inclusive., adjacent to the ripper thereof, cleats 2, and mounted n cleats isn nest, comprising a. jl

1 an oval ening El formed l e under side of 'i a ooncevefl S for a contrai The sont i5!) c n eneelsior or simile. soft M t' cclsior 37 or a similar soft material which is retained within the frame by a piece of netting or wire gauze 3S.

The front wall 25 of the drawer is held in engagement with the front wall 4 of the coop or box by clips 39 pivotally connected to the front wall 4 at t-he upper edge of the drawer opening 12. The wall 25 is retained in engagement with the base 21 by pivot hooks 40, carried by the front edge of the base 21 and adapted to engage pins 41 carried by the wall 25 at the lower edge thereof.

In order that easy access can be had to the inclined frame 36 without removing the drawer, the wall 25 is provided with a door opening 42 havinga hinged door 43 normally maintained in a closed position by a latch 44.

In connection with the door 13, I use a trapping mechanism, adapted to maintain the door in an open position until a hen enters the coop, the door being released immediately upon the hen roosting or entering the seat 30. s

The trapping mechanism comprises a longitudinal rod 45 journaled in staples 46 carried by the re'ar wall 5. The end of the rod 45 adjacent to the wall 3 is bent, as at 47, to engage a hook 48,*carried by the inner side of the door 13. The rod 45 is arranged in a plane horizontal with the top of the nest and the end of the rod is bent forwardly above the wall 23 of the drawer. Secured to the forwardly bent end of the rod 45 is a roosting bar 49, the function of which will presently appear. y

By opening the cover 7, easy.access can be had to the interior of the box, to set the hinged spring-pressed door 13 in an open position,- whereby a hen can enter the coop for laying or sheltering purposes. This can also be done from door opening 11, thereby allowing two or more boxes to be piled on top of each other. Should the hen desire to enter the nest, shemust hop on the roosting bar49, and the weight of the hen is suflicient to release the door 13 and allow the door to close. As the eggs are laid in the nest, they pass through the opening 31 of the seat 30 onto the inclined frame 38, and roll toward the door 43 which is opened to remove the eggs.

Should it be desired to maintain the door 13 1n an open position, in order that the hen can leave the coop, a suitable block can be placed under the forward end of the roosting bar 49 to prevent the same from lowering by the weight -of the chicken.

Through the medium of the cover 7 and the detachable drawer, the coop in its en tirety can be aired, cleaned and maintained in a sanitary condition.

My improved trapping nest provides a sure and reliable way of determining which hens are laying, which are the best layers, and facilitates the selection of fowls for future breeding. It is a well known fact that fowls have hereditary traits, especially in connection with laying, and in the selection and breeding of chickens for laying p-urposes, the pedigree of chickens are. considered. By means of my trapping nest, I am enabled to eliminate undesirable fowls from those having excellent laying proclivities.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new, is

1. A chicken coop and nest embodying a rectangular box, a Ihinged cover carried thereby, saidv box having a front wall thereof provided with a door opening and a drawer opening, a spring pressed door hinged in the door opening of said box, a drawer slidably mounted in the drawer opening of .said box, said drawer comprisinga base, an

inclined frame supported by said base, connected walls hinged to the rear edge of said base, a nest supported by thev upper edges of said walls, said nest having a central opening formed therein, a hinged door carried by the front wall of said drawer, and a trapping mechanism for releasing said spring-pressed door to allow it to close.

2. A chicken coop and nest, embodying a box, a hinged cover carriedby vsaid box, said box having 'a door opening formed therein, a spring pressed door for closing said opening, a nest detachably mounted in said box, said nest comprising a base, walls hinged to said base, an inclined frame supported by said base, a seat carried by the upper edges of said wall and having a central opening formed therein, and a trapping mechanism for releasing said door to allow it to close.

3. A chicken coop and nest, comprising a box, said box'having a door opening formed therein, a spring pressed door hinged in the opening of said box, a drawer slidably Vmounted in said'box, a nest-carried by said A. H. RArsAG, JAS. V. McMAs'rEn. 

